Popeye

Anyone who pans this film doesn't actually love film.Everyone here from screenwriter to director to composer to cast absolutely sells out. There is an amazing singularity of vision here. They don't flinch. They don't apologize. They aren't embarrassed. You don't catch anyone phoning it in with irony. This is pure film, fully realized.For that reason, it's an odd little film; it doesn't try to belong to our reality at all. It inhabits the reality of the comic strip and does so completely and with a generosity that just isn't ever seen in the American entertainment industry. It's quaint and quirky and twee and affected and absolutely perfect. Nobody felt the need to try to make these characters "rounded" or "deep" or to try to somehow justify Popeye in terms of the actual world that we inhabit.That's what's usually wrong with these comic-come-to-life films. They don't work because comic strips don't inhabit our world. They're stylized and single-minded and composed of hooks and riffs and winks. Just like this film.I know it feels like I'm dancing around the point here so I'll try to get to it. This is a great film. Absolutely great. It stands the test of time because it didn't make the mistake of trying to be "relevant" or "high art" or "educational" or a "blockbuster" or any of that garbage.Everyone here sets out to bring Popeye to life. The characters and the strip. As they always were. And they do. It's pitch-perfect, entertaining, endearing, and unlike anything else. It's a strange little film because Popeye is a strange little character in a strange little strip and within those confines, he was beloved. Just as this film is.Thank goodness no attempt was made to take Popeye and bring him into "our world" with our problems, motivations, settings, habits, and so on. It would have offended the sensibility and history of Popeye. Instead, everyone here did their jobs and did them amazingly well. How they got everyone to simply inhabit this film in the way that they did is beyond me; there isn't a flat performance.And as a result, we get to see Popeye as a real, breathing character. And Olive Oyl. And Sweet Pea. And Bluto.Just brilliant. And it's a travesty that this film isn't more widely seen and enjoyed than it is.

Don't fall for reviews from film buffs trying to reclaim this drek as a lost Altman "masterpiece." Altman my be one of the most inconsistent film directors of all time, going from the highest highs to the lowest lows. But putting him in charge of a colorful movie musical aimed at a family audience was certainly a misstep, and easily places this among his worst efforts (but not THE worst...that honor belongs to BEYOND THERAPY). Not that he is helped much by Jules Feiffer's mess of a screenplay. Feiffer for some reason focuses on the earliest days of the POPEYE comic strip back when it was called THIMBLE THEATRE. So much of the film is spent on quirky characters that had been forgotten for decades at the time the movie came out. And the Gen X kids the film should have been aimed at only knew Popeye from the more recent cartoons that focused on the Popeye-Olive Oyl-Bluto/ Brutus love triangle, along with support from Wimpy, Sweet Pea, Alice the Goon and the wonderful Sea Hag. So, instead of madcap adventure and magic we get a movie focused on character studies.But the biggest misstep was selecting Harry Nilsson to write the songs, and I am being generous referring to them as such. While Nilsson is a wonderful, quirky songwriter, he had no experience writing musicals where the songs actually had to carry the story. Most of the songs are simply static, doing nothing to advance the plot or develop characters. How static? Essentially every single song consists of constantly repeating the song's title over and over ad nauseam. This could work once in a score for a specific character, and is probably best realized in Olive's first song "He's Large." But again, every number just keeps repeating the "hook" over and over and over as if the audience could not possibly get the point otherwise. Imagine if Ariel in Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID just kept singing "Part of your world! Part of your world! Part of your world!" William's first song as Popeye is all but unintelligible, but considering the quality of the rest of the score, that might be a blessing. Altman is so unsure of the musical form that he does not even open up the songs into large dance numbers, which was a missed opportunity considering all of the quirky character actors in the film with experience in clowning.William's makes his leading man debut in a major film without dishonoring the character or embarrassing himself. But the film reaches it highest points in Shelly Duvall's irreplaceable portrayal of Olive Oyl. Her physicality and vocal quirks are pitch perfect, and manages to embody a cartoon character without ever falling into the trap of being cartoony. There are many fine performances by the supporting and bit part players too, but they belong in another movie. I will also add that the art direction is amazing.In an alternate universe there was a movie of Popeye produced by Disney without Paramount. They hired Gene Kelly to direct, William Goldman to write the screenplay and the Sherman Brothers to write the songs. Instead of focusing on a windswept town, there would have been high adventure on the open seas to enchanted islands while accompanied by the Jeep and Alice the Goon. There would have been an over-the-top performance by Carol Burnett or Lily Tomlin as the Sea Hag. And it would have been a perennial family classic, as opposed to this mess; which is merely a curiosity and a missed opportunity.

How could anyone not love this movie? Robin Williams' portrayal of Popeye is brilliant and hilarious. Shelley Duvall is equally brilliant as Olive Oyl. Ray Walston, Paul Dooley, Paul L. Smith, Roberta Maxwell as Nana Oyl, Richard Libertini and Donald Moffatt as the Taxman, musical score by Harry Nilson and you've got a wonderfully entertaining film the entire family can enjoy. This is my second copy. I bought my original Popeye DVD when it was first issued many years ago. I bought this one as a spare copy. Whenever I'm feeling a bit down or depressed I spend some time in Sweet Haven and all is right with the world again. All those grumpy critics who panned this delightful movie need a serious attitude adjustment. I'll bet they hate spring flowers, songbirds and puppies too.

Don't be fooled by the lukewarm reviews when this film was released in 1980. Popeye is one of the quirkier of its era, entertaining and surprising in most unconventional ways.Neither totally cartoony nor over-the-top live action laugh fest (a la The Grinch), it ambles its way musically around one of the most delightful set pieces ever constructed from scratch for a moving picture, the seaside village of "Sweethaven" on the Isle of Malta. Add the absolute commitment to its main characters, played straight by Robin Williams and Shelley Duval, a brilliant song cycle by the Nilsson at his best, and the talk-over style (complete with barely discernible Popeye mumbling asides) by Robert Altman and it is one fine bit of cinema joy. Let it grow on you and discover its many charms. It gets better with age.

Sailor Popeye arrives in the small town of Sweet Haven looking for his long lost Pappy. The movie debut of the late, great Robin Williams has been unfairly described over the years as one of the worst films ever made. Directed by Robert Altman, this comedy musical is actually rather good fun with plenty of slapstick comedy and is very faithful to the original Popeye cartoon and comic strips with the characters looking like they've literally come to life. While Robin Williams would of course go on to much bigger and better things it is a good debut performance, just known at the time for TV shows Mork And Mindy and Saturday Night Live while Shelley Duvall was the bigger name giving a good performance as Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oil with Paul L Smith an actor to file under whatever happened to him menacing as bully Bluto and Ray Walston as Pappy with the film showing the origins of Popeye and it's basically a live action cartoon.

I really enjoyed this film, which has lots of action, a great setting (filmed in Malta), and had convincing acting performances. Some people criticise Robin Williams' diction, which admittedly isn't easy to follow, but he is actually doing a realistic imitation of the way Popeye speaks in the cartoons. At the end Popeye eats his spinach, vanquishes arch enemy Bluto, and wins the hand of Olive Oyl in an all action sequence filmed at sea. And today if you visit Malta, you can visit the specially created film set for a day out.

I remember when my boys were growing up, sitting with them to watch this film. It was funny, and the songs catchy. Robin Williams was great as Popeye, and played the part Just as you would imagine Popeye to be like. Now I sit with my Grandchildren and watch it, and still get lots of laughs. Love the film

Slapstick comedy. I imagine not every adult would enjoy watching this film. Popeye made use of spinach only on one occasion, i.e. near the end. Surprised there was only one film made though. To go to the trouble of building an entire village in Malta and only making one film doesn't make sense to me. There should have been a whole series of films? Kids might like it. Olive Oil was very good. Lot of muttering rather than talking in the film made it difficult to hear what was being said. I managed to watch all the way through.

This I bought for myself (66yr old) as I watched this initially with my son many years ago and wanted to add it to my library of films. Watched it with my grandson of eight. I enjoyed it very much as it was quite nostalgic for me and grandson enjoyed it also. perhaps not everyone's taste but it had happy memories for me.